1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for installing floor boards, and, more particularly, to a device especially adapted for assuring a tight fit between complementary tongue and groove structures of floor boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Floor boards are often joined together by a tongue-in-groove connection. Ideally, the tongues would fit into the grooves with ease and a perfect fit. In reality, however, the tongues are not perfectly complementary with the grooves. Therefore, to properly install the respective tongues in the respective grooves, some kind of force must be applied. Often, a worker uses a hammer or a mallet to force the respective tongues into the respective grooves. The use of a hammer or a mallet has several possible undesirable consequences. First, the hammering action can dent or otherwise damage the floor boards. Second, without a highly skilled user, a hammer often misses the exact spot on the object that it is being swung to hit. Third, the use of a hammer creates quite a bit of noise. In view of these problems associated with hammering floor boards into position, it would be desirable if a device were provided that permits proper installation of tongue-in-groove floor boards without hammering.
Hammering may do damage to the edges of floor boards because so much force is concentrated in a small surface area, the hammer head. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided which applied an installation force over a relatively large surface area to avoid damaging the floor boards during installation.
A hammer can wield a large force because of a build up of kinetic energy as the hammer is swung. If a hammer is not used, some other source of energy must be substituted in its place. Because a swinging hammer moves so fast, it is very hard to control. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that did not rely upon a rapidly moving, hard to control element for exerting force against a floor board for installation into an adjacent floor board.
Besides a swinging hammer, there are other principles for multiplying force. Hydraulics and pulleys are often used for multiplying forces. Levers are also used for multiplying force. Hydraulic systems usually require heavy apparatus that can withstand very large hydraulic pressures. Pulleys require cables or chains that can become tangled. Therefore, a leverage system would be preferred among the three force multiplying systems. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided which employs levers for installing tongue-in-groove floor boards.
To install tongue-in-groove floor boards, two primary sources of resistive forces to installation are the inertia of the floor boards and the frictional forces between the respective tongues and grooves. When a hammer strikes the side of a floor board, much of the kinetic energy of the hammer strike is absorbed by the floor board to overcome the inertia of the floor board. Much less of the kinetic energy goes toward forcing the tongue into the groove. This is the primary reason why floor boards can be damaged when hammered; the energy absorbed by the floor board damages the floor board. To avoid this type of damage to floor boards during installation, it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that does not apply large amounts of kinetic energy to floor boards that can cause damage to the floor boards.
It is the sharp, high impact of hammer blow that can damage the tongue-in-groove floor boards. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that applied a slowly building force to the floor board rather than a sharp blow.
Still other features would be desirable in a flooring installation apparatus. Once a slowly building force is applied to the floor board, it would be desirable if the built-up force could be sustained and continuously applied for a period of time rather than dissipate immediately as occurs with a hammer blow. Once a floor board has been properly installed, the installation apparatus must be moved out of the way to make room for installing the next floor board. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that is easily removed from one floor board to be applied to the next floor board needing installation.
The operation of installing a tongue-in-groove floor board is often intimately associated with the subsequent operation of nailing the installed floor board into position on the floor. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that included a mechanized device for nailing the floor board into position on the floor once the tongue-in-groove installation has been made.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to devices using simple levers for multiplying force, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: Nos. 4,042,210; 4,625,945; 4,785,488; 5,010,791; and Des. No. 301,301. None of these prior art simple lever devices are disclosed as being suitable for installing tongue-in-groove floor boards. In this respect it would be desirable if a floor board installation device were provided that employs a simple lever for installing a tongue-in-groove floor board.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use hammering devices to install tongue-in-groove floor boards, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a flooring installation apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) permits proper installation of tongue-in-groove floor boards without hammering; (2) applies an installation force over a relatively large surface area to avoid damaging the floor boards during installation; (3) does not rely upon a rapidly moving, hard to control element for exerting force against a floor board for installation into an adjacent floor board; (4) employs levers for installing tongue-in-groove floor boards; (5) does not apply large amounts of kinetic energy to floor boards that can cause damage to the floor boards; (6) applies a slowly building force to the floor board rather than a sharp blow; (7) sustains and continuously applies a built-up force on a tongue-in-groove floor board for a period of time rather than dissipate a force immediately as occurs with a hammer blow; (8) is easily removed from one floor board to be applied to the next floor board needing installation; (9) includes a mechanized device for nailing the floor board into position on the floor once the tongue-in-groove installation has been made; and (10) employs a simple lever for installing a tongue-in-groove floor board. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique flooring installation apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.